wefan

Forms

wefan (strong class 5; third-person singular present wifþ, past singular wæf, past plural wǣfon)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *weban, from Proto-Germanic *webaną (“to weave”).^[1][2] The strong verb is shared by Old Norse vefa, Old High German weban and Middle Low German weven.^[2][3][4]

Kroonen calls it a strong verb with clear Indo-European roots and reconstructs Proto-Indo-European *h₁uébʰ-e-.^[2] Orel lists the relatives: Ancient Greek ὑφή (huphḗ, “web”), Albanian vej (“to weave”), and verbs in Tocharian and Sanskrit.^[3] Köbler gives the root as Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to weave, plait”).^[5]

It belongs to the fifth class of strong verbs.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The earliest dated records are figurative and come from two manuscripts of the later tenth century.^[7][8] In Genesis in the Junius manuscript (s. x²) the rebel angel's mind began þone unræd … fremman, wefan and weccean “to carry out, weave and stir up the evil plan”.^[7][9] In Guthlac in the Exeter Book (s. x²) the time comes wefen wyrdstafum “woven by the decrees of fate”.^[8][9]

Semantic evolution

The literal sense, to weave cloth, is found in the glosses and in prose: Ælfric's Grammar has Ic wefe for Latin “texo”, and the Old English Bede has smalo hrægel wefaþ “weave fine garments”.^[10] Glossators also used it for Latin “texere” and “contexere”.^[5][10]

The wider sense, to put together, arrange, contrive, is mostly poetic: besides the passages in Genesis and Guthlac, the poet says in Elene ic … wordcræft wæf “I wove the art of words”.^[10][11]

The verb lived on as Middle English weven, now English weave.^[12][13]

Timeline

• s. x² – wefan and weccean in Genesis in the Junius manuscript.^[7][9]
• s. x² – wefen wyrdstafum in Guthlac in the Exeter Book.^[8][9]
• s. x² – wordcræft wæf in Elene in the Vercelli Book.^[10][14]

Meanings

Verb

1. to weave cloth.^[10][5][11]
2. to put together, arrange; to devise, contrive.^[10][11]

Word family

• āwefan
• bewefan
• ġewefan
• þynwefen

Descendants

• Middle English weven (→ English weave)^[1]

Related words

• webb
• wefl
• weft

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 576
3. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 451
4. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. 388
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. wefan
6. ^ Hogg, Richard M.; Fulk, R. D. (2011), A Grammar of Old English, vol. 2: Morphology, Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, p. § 6.64
7. ^ a b c Gneuss, Helmut; Lapidge, Michael (2014), Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 513
8. ^ a b c Gneuss, Helmut; Lapidge, Michael (2014), Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 223
9. ^ a b c d Healey, Antonette diPaolo; Price Wilkin, John; Xiang, Xin, eds. (2009), Dictionary of Old English Web Corpus, Toronto: Dictionary of Old English Project
10. ^ a b c d e f Bosworth, Joseph; Toller, T. Northcote (1898), An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press; Toller, T. Northcote (1921), Supplement, p. 1182
11. ^ a b c Sweet, Henry (1896), The Student's Dictionary of Anglo-Saxon, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. 224
12. ^ Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
13. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
14. ^ Gneuss, Helmut; Lapidge, Michael (2014), Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 704